


The Council of Bats

by DaibhidC



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Earth-3, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-04-16
Packaged: 2018-06-02 14:06:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6569239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaibhidC/pseuds/DaibhidC
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gotham City of Earth-3 is controlled by the crimelord Thomas "Owlman" Wayne and his minions. But is it possible it also has a defender?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Council of Bats

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic on AO3; just a little squib I came up with.

Gotham City: Earth-3  
  
Most people in Gotham City knew better than to be outside after dark. Harper Row was actually one of them, but she’d been working late at the electric plant following the most recent sabotage. She hurried through the streets. Her brother didn’t seem to realise the danger. In fact he was singing to himself as he tagged behind her.  
  
“ _Respect to the Council of Bats, that watches from above_ …”  
  
“I wish you’d stop chanting that stupid poem,” Harper snapped. He ignored her.  
  
“ _Defending Gotham from a shadowed spire, spreading wings of love,_  
“ _They recognise the brave, the loyal and the true,_  
“ _And if you_ …” he broke off as a shadow fell over him.  
  
“Owlman really hates that rhyme,” said the figure who stood between them and the light. Harper didn’t recognise him; just some gang member, probably getting his orders from Boss Gordon rather than the Owl himself. “People who recite it need to be taught a lesson.”  
  
“Look, my kid brother’s an idiot, but he didn’t mean anything…”  
  
The gang member didn’t look like he cared. Harper moved in front of Cullen, and moved into a defensive stance. Before she, or her opponent, could act, a figure swooped down from the shadows.  For a second, Harper thought it was the Owl – the blue-black bodysuit and cowl fitted the descriptions she’d heard. But there was no cape, and when he turned, she saw the ears on the cowl, and the chest insignia. Not an owl, but a stylised bat, vividly red against the darkness.  
  
“I think these kids just want to go home,” the costumed man said to the attacker, “Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way…”  
  
The gangster charged at the interloper, who sidestepped the attack. As inertia sent his opponent past him, he punched him in the back of the neck. There was a brief arc of electricity, and Harper realised he must have some kind of taser in his gloves.  
  
“The easy way it is then,” he quipped to the unconscious figure, before turning back to the teenagers. “Are you near your home? Then I’d hurry if I were you.”  
  
“Thank you,” Harper said, “But why did you help us?”  
  
“I try to help everyone, but I don’t always manage it,” the figure admitted, “But I heard the rhyme. Your brother has hope. That’s pretty rare in Gotham. It’s worth protecting.” And with that he jumped back up onto the rooftops. Although he had no cape, Harper realised there was some form of glider under his arms that gave him extra lift.  
  
As they watched him go, Cullen reverently recited the last line of his poem.  
  
“ _And if you call their name for help, Night’s Wing will come to you_.”  
  
“Yeah,” agreed Harper, “Apparently he will.”


End file.
